Community Reviews

Al 3 of these books are fabulous but I think this is my favourite. No spoilers (but oh there are some huge shocks) but the balance of heartbreaking sadness and laugh out loud moments make wonderful reading. Here's to a forth!

Life, wherever you live, doesn’t always give you sunny courtyards and glasses of rosé wine and this book is an honest, but very readable account of a difficult time in Karen's life. Her relationship is not going well, she falls out of love with French village life and then her world is turned upside down by an accident involving a friend.

This is a heart-wrenching and far more emotional read than Karen's first two books, Tout Sweet and Toute Allure. However despite the somewhat subdued feel, KareLife, wherever you live, doesn’t always give you sunny courtyards and glasses of rosé wine and this book is an honest, but very readable account of a difficult time in Karen's life. Her relationship is not going well, she falls out of love with French village life and then her world is turned upside down by an accident involving a friend.

This is a heart-wrenching and far more emotional read than Karen's first two books, Tout Sweet and Toute Allure. However despite the somewhat subdued feel, Karen is still able to bring alive the changing seasons of the Poitou-Charentes countryside, that I know and love so well, with her descriptions of her daily walks with Biff, her beloved doggy companion. Having Biff and his need for routine and care really gave meaning to her life during the dark times and his antics often made me smile. She captures perfectly the café culture and the important part it plays in French village life and the characters she writes about feel very real. She also has the ability to write about very personal situations with honesty, openness and without making the reader feel uncomfortable, but a box of tissues may come in handy.

I am looking forward to reading more about Karen's life in her next book....more

While I really enjoyed Tout Sweet, this book left me a bit flat, notwithstanding it's very sad and tragic turn of events. For the first part of the book, I couldn't help but wonder why the author did not see a therapist to deal with her depression, or at least so she could get her own medication, rather than borrow a friend's. Later in the book, I found the author's insights regarding how to create a life with meaning -- care for other people, take up another's cross, be a good friend --While I really enjoyed Tout Sweet, this book left me a bit flat, notwithstanding it's very sad and tragic turn of events. For the first part of the book, I couldn't help but wonder why the author did not see a therapist to deal with her depression, or at least so she could get her own medication, rather than borrow a friend's. Later in the book, I found the author's insights regarding how to create a life with meaning -- care for other people, take up another's cross, be a good friend -- anything, but profound. Had she never heard any of these things before? I actually felt sad for her in the end, that it took such a loss for her to figure these things out at age 30-plus....more

A surprising little memoir packed with all of the humor, miscommunications and angst of a love affair gone terribly wrong. British expat, Karen Wheeler, learns the value of life's stumbling blocks and in the process taps into the happiness locked in her heart. A great beach read!

Tout Soul is the third book of Karen Wheeler's "Tout" series. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Karen's writing is so beautiful, I felt like I was there in France and could visualize the small villages, bistros, and the characters. I don't want to spoil what happens in Tout Soul, so I won't comment much on the plot. However, the emotions invoked by Karen's writing are powerful, and I highlighted several meaningful passages about life near the end and I know I will refer back to these passages inTout Soul is the third book of Karen Wheeler's "Tout" series. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Karen's writing is so beautiful, I felt like I was there in France and could visualize the small villages, bistros, and the characters. I don't want to spoil what happens in Tout Soul, so I won't comment much on the plot. However, the emotions invoked by Karen's writing are powerful, and I highlighted several meaningful passages about life near the end and I know I will refer back to these passages in the future. I totally recommend this series to everyone who enjoys "Chick-Lit". These novels are based on Karen's life experiences, so I don't want to classify completely to that genre. But, if you have ever wondered what it would be like to change your circumstance and live in a small village in rural France, I would read these novels.

Karen's fourth book Sweet Encore is coming out at the beginning of August and I cannot wait! These books make me wish more to travel to France on vacation and tour some parts of rural France. I have to note that Karen has a blog tout sweet. Upon reading her blog I became aware of her philanthropy which is admirable. Karen is a likeable author and I wish her so much success! ** I would advise to not access or read Karen's blog until after you have finished the third book Tout Soul, in order to avoid spoiling the plot of Tout Soul. ...more

I hesitated to move on to this third book in Wheeler's series, as her second one was too dog-oriented and failed to grab me. Yet I was left curious as to what was going to become of the highly endearing yet highly imperfect -- in other words, totally human -- narrator.

Tout Soul is by far the most emotional and complex of the series, and knowing it is a memoir left me feeling quite sad at the end. Despite claims of her finding keys to happiness after a life-changing trauma, I finished the book noI hesitated to move on to this third book in Wheeler's series, as her second one was too dog-oriented and failed to grab me. Yet I was left curious as to what was going to become of the highly endearing yet highly imperfect -- in other words, totally human -- narrator.

Tout Soul is by far the most emotional and complex of the series, and knowing it is a memoir left me feeling quite sad at the end. Despite claims of her finding keys to happiness after a life-changing trauma, I finished the book not totally convinced this will be the case. But it left me pulling for "Kar-enne," and very much looking forward to the 4th in the series due to come out later this year.

As an expat in France myself, what I have enjoyed the most about these books is the author's sharp, honest appraisal of life in rural France. She does a great job defining the grey areas of French expat, or French country, life. It's far from idyllic, but it's not "A Year in La Merde" either. ...more

I totally enjoyed Ms.Wheeler's first book Tout Sweet. The first half of this particular offering I loved more than the second half simply because I could totally relate to the loss and the bouts of struggling to get out of bed and find meaning in one's life. Loved that. The part dealing with Luis dragged on a bit and I agree with one reviewer here who found Ms. Wheeler's revelations about finding happiness in the small things and giving back somewhat tepid. Be that as it may, everybody discoversI totally enjoyed Ms.Wheeler's first book Tout Sweet. The first half of this particular offering I loved more than the second half simply because I could totally relate to the loss and the bouts of struggling to get out of bed and find meaning in one's life. Loved that. The part dealing with Luis dragged on a bit and I agree with one reviewer here who found Ms. Wheeler's revelations about finding happiness in the small things and giving back somewhat tepid. Be that as it may, everybody discovers things at different points in their lives so who am I to sit in judgement when Ms. Wheeler discovers what's important and what's not. Main thing is, she did and she granted me much joy reading her books. She really did. ...more

This is a story of love and loss, NOT a description of delightful rural France. While I had sympathy for the protagonist, I was very disappointed in the depressing environment (of course, she WAS depressed over losing her lover) where the favorite food of the people is really steak frites, not rich delicacies, and the weather seemed to be cold, rainy, and uncomfortable most of the time. I did appreciate what she found good on her life, those friends who supported her through her lengthy tragedy.This is a story of love and loss, NOT a description of delightful rural France. While I had sympathy for the protagonist, I was very disappointed in the depressing environment (of course, she WAS depressed over losing her lover) where the favorite food of the people is really steak frites, not rich delicacies, and the weather seemed to be cold, rainy, and uncomfortable most of the time. I did appreciate what she found good on her life, those friends who supported her through her lengthy tragedy. Not at all what I expected or hoped for from the title or reviews....more

I loved the first two books, I couldn't wait to read this one. Boy what a let down. Yes it is dramatic and traumatic but totally not what I was looking for. If indeed this story is based on the authors real life, I have to wonder about her mental state - throughout the book she's delusional, depressed, and somewhat of a stalker. Seems like a book written by a teenage girl rather than a 40 year old woman.

The best of the three books: Tout Sweet, Toute Allure and Tout Soul. Karen bares her soul in Tout Soul, and it is some of her best writing. Beautiful! Someone should obtain the movie rights to all three; the movie could zip through Tout Sweet, linger a bit longer in Toute Allure, and focus on Tout Soul for a rich ending.